If you've ever wondered what it feels like to follow Schuie over the ramps, wonder no more.

G'day everyone.

The crew at KTM used the Wyaralong trailbike facility recently for the press launch of the new 2012 KTM EXC range. We hadn't been to the park for a few months so the week leading up to the day was a busy one. The trails had to be checked, cleared and remarked, do the mowing and rip the MX track. The day was perfect and everyone had a blast on the new bikes; it was cool to see Jeff Leisk get out there on the MX track and do a few loops! KTM is also holding its dealer conference at the park this weekend, then KTM Dirt Days next weekend, so I have a few days of prep to do.

At the start of the month I did four days of shows at MovieWorld with the Showtime FMX team as part of their Showtime Monster Extreme show. It was great to be a part of it and the the shows were definitely a hit with the crowds.

On the 9th of July Steve Sommerfeld and I along with the support of KTM and Red Bull held a coaching clinic in Perth. When I was running my coaching school here, we always received a lot of interest from WA riders, so we jetted over to Perth and had DirtShape WA build the course to our spec. The day was a massive success with a full class of 20 riders. It was so good that we are planning another day there on 14th August.

Hyundai has jumped onboard as a new sponsor as part of their strategy to promote the new ILoad van to the motorcycling industry. I'm very excited about this new relationship and am looking forward to big things. I'll be picking the van up this week, then it's straight to the Unit factory to get wrapped in a similar design as my trailer, then whip it into the Advanti factory for a trick set of wheels! This is perfect timing as I am about to venture off on an Australian roadtrip; the van is going to be a treat to ride in!

My new website is up and running. It's been a long time in the making but it certainly looks good. There are still some little changes to make, but it is easy to keep everyone updated from it.


Schuie's new toy, available through Unit's retail stores in Harbourtown and Maroochydore.

On the weekend, the crew from Skuff TV (which airs on the Fuel channel) came out to the farm to film for an upcoming episode. It was a windy day so conditions wern't great, but we made it work. The boys had some really cool cameras and gadgets to film with. One was an Octocopter - basically it's a camera that flies and the footage captured on here should be fantastic.

On the 4th August we are setting up the Stone Brothers race transporter for me to jump over with Shane Van Gisbergen standing ontop, and then hopefully we can get Shane out for a ride at my place to top it all off. I'll get plenty of pics of the day and keep you all posted.

On August 9 Steve Sommerfeld and I are hitting the road to film freeriding spots around Australia. We are going to capture the whole trip on film and make a three part web series with Allan Hardy at Unit, and we are in negotiations with Fuel TV in making a Fuel special episode on the trip. The will take us right into September as we have a lot of places to ride. Jon Freeman from Crusty Demons may be joining in to film for the next instalment in the Crusty Demons saga.

Will let you know how it all goes!

Schuie

 

• By Simon M

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Unit FMXer Mat Rebeaud has opted to pull out of ths week's X Games and get himself 100% fit for next month's X-Fighter in Poland.

Unit rider Mat Rebeaud has just announced he is withdrawing from the Summer X Games 17 Speed & Style contest in Los Angeles this weekend.

Rebeaud, who is still coming back from breaking his femur earlier this year while practising the Volt into the foampit, says he's not feeling confident charging the Speed & Style whoop section as he's struggled with the set at his practice track in Switzerland.

Mat's manager, Russell Stratton told us this morning he will use the time instead to focus on being as well prepared as possible for the next round of the Red Bull X-Fighters in Warsaw, Poland on August 6th.

All the best for the recovery, buddy, we miss seeing you out there riding!

(Mat Rebeaud is wearing the white Stance tee and Slayer zip-up hoody.)

• By Simon M

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Kyle Baldock - on song in qualifying. PHOTO: Action Recon.

Hey guys.

We just did the very first stop of the Dew Tour in Ocean City, Maryland. They did a good job on choosing Maryland as everybody was right on the beach and the weather was amazing.

This stop was a lot of people's first big contest for the year, so a lot of people got the nervous jitters, myself included. I was so excited to be riding practice with everybody and felt really amazing on my bike, but when it came to the contest, I just got over-excited and made small mistakes, which kept me out of the finals.

But I'm happy to be 100% healthy again and I'm looking forward to the comps coming up.

Everybody was riding extremely well, not making finals I had the chance to sit back and get some photos. Hope you enjoy the pics.

-Ryan


Andrew "Mini" Ahumada - Downside Whip over the hip. PHOTO: Ryan Guettler


Jed Mildon - Flip Whip at altitude. PHOTO: Ryan Guettler
 

• By Simon M

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Unit FMX rider Tom Pagès has arrived in the USA ahead of this weeks X Games Best Whip contest, where he hopes to take Todd Potter down for Gold. French film maker Michel Never has tagged along for the trip, and is producing a series of cool video updates of the adventure.

Episodes 1 and 2 are now online, and feature Tom's trip to the Yamaha factory to pick up his brand new bike, as well as a session at Maddo's house. Check them out below...

 

• By Allan H

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Dean Ferris (#111) has vowed to take the title fight to Jay Marmont (#1) and Josh Coppins (#5) next weekend in Coolum. PHOTO: SIMON MAKKER

Monster Energy Kawasaki's #1 rider, Dean Ferris, is expecting to get behind the start-gate at the final round of the 2011 Rockstar Energy MX Nationals next weekend to try and reclaim the Pro Open crown.

Ferriswheel, who went into the weekend's round at Moree with a 20-point buffer over stalwart MXer Josh Coppins, had a heavy crash in the third moto while pushing through the pack, forcing him to DNF, then DNS the day's last moto. As a result he lost 50 points tumbled from first to third in the championship title hunt.

"I stalled on the first lap after getting the holeshot and was charging pretty hard to make up as many positions as possible," he explains. "I came into a corner too hot, washed the front end and bodyslammed the ground. I wasn't knocked out but I was that knocked up I couldn't get up."

The RaceSafe team stretchered him off the track and as he underwent an examination he coughed up blood - a result of hitting the side of his chest so hard.

"I had a scan and I don't have anything broken, which is good. My thumb is pretty sore and swollen so I'm going to get it checked out in Brisbane tomorrow," he reveals. "But I'm definitely going to try and get to Coolum, even if I have to ride with a splint or something to get me through. I'm not going to give up after leading most of the year."

The final round of the championship is this coming weekend at Coolum Qld. All the best for a swift, complete recovery, Dean!
 

• By Simon M

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Unit BMX team rider Kyle Baldock made his very first appearnace a Dew Tour final over the weekend, and ended up taking the win! Kyle has been slated as the new guy to watch out for, and now he has shown why. He can do pretty much every trick imaginable on a BMX, and with consistency.

X Games is coming up this weekend, and with his invite already confirmed, Kyle will be looking to follow up his Dew Tour win with an X Games Gold. We want to wish him the best of luck, and can't wait to watch it all go down!

Here is some links to coverage from the park final...

DEW TOUR - Photo Gallery

DEW TOUR - Highlights videos

Also on the weekend, Unit riders Andreu Lacondeguy and Kelly McGarry were both featured in the Crankworx slopestyle finals over the weekend, this event is basically the biggest MTB event of the whole year, and the riding level is insane!

Kelly went big straight out of the gate and ended up injuring his arm on a flip crash. He was all smiles afterwards though, and ooking forward to getting back on his bike.

Andreu flowed the course with plenty of boost and style on his first run, and then put it all on the line for his 2nd. He nailed a perfect double flip near the top of the course, and then went for a backflip tailwhip on the next jump, he went down hard and blew his chances of a win. Andreu is so exciting to watch in events like this, and you can tell that he is always a crowd favourite.

Below is some links to coverage from the event, including a gallery and the live event replay. Brandon Semenuk ended up taking first place...

RED BULL JOYRIDE - PHOTO GALLERY

RED BULL JOYRIDE - VIDEO REPLAY

• By Allan H

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Well aren't you a lucky bunch today! We haven't just got the It Is What It Is Jam highlights video for you, we've just released this killer video of current Australian MX Pro Opens championship leader Dean Ferris carving some sweet, sweet whips in his glorious backyard.

We caught up with the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider at his private MX track in Northern New South Wales, as he prepares for the final two rounds of the 2011 Rockstar MX Nationals. Dean currently leads the points in the Opens class ahead of three-time former champion Jay Marmont.

Dean speaks about his situation, the pressure and how hard he has worked to reach this point in his career. We also capture some amazing footage of Dean whipping it out on his backyard setup featuring a motocross track, supercross track and a series of natural terrain jumps.
 

• By Simon M

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Over the weekend Unit BMXer Jed Mildon and his US room-mate Luke Parslow staged a benefit jam at Parslow's Riverside jumps, to raise money for BMXer Stephen Murray, who suffered a huge accidentin 2007 and is now wheelchair-bound.
Some of the biggest names in BMX turned out for the Jam, including Jed, Corey Nastazio, TJ Ellis and Parslow. Enjoy!

• By Simon M

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Joe Sheppard, Robbie Marshall, Dean Ferris and Jay Wilson indulge in a bit of bench-racing at the end of the day.

Today was a great day to be in Northern New South Wales. It was one of those amazingly clear winter's day you dream about, rain from two days' prior had turned the dirt into loamy goodness, and we had the privilege of hanging out at current Australian MX Pro Open points leader Dean Ferris's picturesque Kyogle farm with some of the country's top MX and FMX riders.

On hand to make the most of the day and the prime real estate was Ferris himself, one of the world's most gifted all-round riders Robbie Marshall, FMXer Joe Sheppard and two of Unit's newly-launched Junior MX Academy riders, Jay and Dylan Wilson.


Jay Wilson leads Robbie Marshall over a poppy hit within a stone's throw of Dean Ferris's living room.

The rolling hills on the Ferris farm are seemingly custom-made for MX and freeriding: Dean reckons he has access to about 10 tracks within a short drive from his own house, and his family's own 80-acre block is chock-full of rolling hills, dry gullies and crazy lines.


Marshall always looks in his element when it comes to natural hits.

We videoed and shot the day as the boys explored the farm, and watched Ferris throw some of the biggest Whips we've ever seen over the many natural-terrain and purpose-built jumps.


Ferris throws it flat for Unit filmer Allan Hardy.


Dean Ferris: can whip.

For the racers Wilson, Marshall and Ferris it was a great chance to escape from the usual intense gym or MX sessions as the 2011 Rockstar MX Nationals reaches the business end. With two rounds remaining in the championship held over the next two weeks, life is going to get a lot more intense for the guys.

Stay tuned for a couple of killer Unit videos from today, which will be released in the very near future.


Jay Wilson and his little brother Dylan are definitely a couple of characters.


It wasn't all hucking and hipping. Jay gets his scrub on around Ferris's track.


For a grom, young Dee Wilson has some plenty of style.

• By Simon M

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Have we got a treat for all your Unit fans today! Check out these three amazing new videos from some of our highest-profile athletes - French FMX machine Tom Pagès, MTB wild-man Andreu Lacondeguy (although this time he's ripping up the FMX compound) and our newest Pro signing, Kyle Baldock.

Enjoy.

• By Simon M

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Claire Buchar (left) celebrates on the Crankworx podium. Photo courtesy of Ian Hylands/Pinkbike.

We just received word that Unit-sponsored Canadian DH MTB women's champion Claire Buchar has stormed to a second place finish at the Kokanee Crankworx's Downhill race today!

Details are thin on the ground at the moment, but Buchar, a Whistler local, finished runner-up to Rachel Atherton in the Pro Women category. Atherton posted a time of 3:34.45, to Claire's 3:38.75. Canadian Miranda Miller placed third with a time of 3:50.75.

Meanwhile in the Pro Men's class, Claire's fiancee, Aussie DH legend and Unit-sponsored rider Chris Kovarik finished 30th, and current Oceania DH champion Rhys Willemse opted to sit out the event after susttaining soft-tissue damage in a Dual Slalom crash the day before.

• By Simon M

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Maikel Melero, Scorpioned Nine in the bull-fighting cage. Photos: Oscar & Jose Luis Carrascosa

What is it about our Spaniard riders who are ripping it up at the moment? In addition to Andreu Lacondeguy carving up his rivals in Best Trick and slopestile MTB contests across the globe, Melero posted his best-ever international FMX result in Madrid on the weekend by finishing fourth at the Red Bull X-Fighters.

Melero, who was a crowd-favourite from the get-go, showed the world's best he's hungry to be the next king of FMX with a solid performance in the semis against Ausssie Blake "Bilko" Williams. Despite his best efforts, Melero was controversially pipped 3-2 by the five-judge panel and had to settle for fourth behind fellow countryman Dany Torres (1st), Bilko (2nd) and Josh Sheehan (3rd).

After a ninth in Rome and a fourth in Madrid, the likeable kid with silky-smooth style has proved he has what it takes to be a title-winner. We can't wait to see what he brings to the next round in Poland!


Melero throws a textbook No-Handed Flip. This kid has a big future in FMX.

• By Simon M

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Unit's frontline FMX rider Tom Pagès has just taken part in a sweet looking Red Bull FMX/BMX show in France. We can't understand too much more as the explanation below the Vimeo page is all in French.

Another thing we can't understand is just how Tom gets both his whips and his Turmdowns so ridiculously massive. Check out the video and you'll see what we're talking about!

Make sure you cheer on Tom in a couple weeks' time when he guns for Best Whip gold at X Games 17. We reckon if he keeps this sort of behaviour up he's definitely got a shot. Enjoy.

• By Simon M

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Kiwi Red Bull FMXer Nick Franklin has received a last-minute call-up to this weekend's round of the Red Bull X-Fighters in Madrid.

Franky is a regular performer in the X-Fighters Jams that go down in exotic locations around the world, as the energy drink company scopes out possible epic locations for future X-FIghters events.

The Tokoroa lad hasn't received a call-up to an X-Fighters contest since 2009, but with a few holes in the starting line-up due to injury and/or X Games in two short weeks (no Nate Adams, Clinton Moore, Taka Higashino, Levi Sherwood, Mat Rebeaud etc) Franklin has made it into the mix.

Fellow Unit rider Maikel Melero has also received an invite to his home event. He will be looking to improve on his ninth place result at previous round in Rome and capitalise on his homeground advantage.

Riders List Red Bull X-Fighters Madrid 2011
Adam Jones (USA)
Andre Villa (NOR)
Robbie Maddison (AUS)
Dany Torres (ESP)
Maikel Melero (ESP, UNIT)
Blake Williams (AUS)
Eigo Sato (JAP)
Josh Sheehan (AUS)
Javier Villegas (CHL)
David Rinaldo (FRA)
Nick Franklin (NZL, UNIT)
Alistair Sayer (BOT)

• By Simon M

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This is my new ride while I'm in the USA. It's not the most attractive vehicle, but she does the job!

The past two weeks have been fun and productive for me here in the USA. There was a video clip shoot for Chris Gentry at Stephen Murray's house a couple weeks ago, and Luke Parslow and I have been jamming the yard and his new line the past week.

The Is What It Is Jam is set for this weekend 16th July in Parslow's backyard. It's looking sick - Vans and Pro Tech are sponsoring it, so it looks like it will be fun times! The weekend after is first round of Dew Tour Park in Beach City, Maryland on the East Coast, so I'll have some more news for you all soon.

Thanks heaps,
Jed


There's a nest of red hawks close by and they learn to fly in the yard. The other morning we spotted one eating a rat on top of the big trick landing.


Ri-Ri-Ri-Riverside, motha'ucker!

• By Simon M

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Nick Richardson, Alana Collins and Dane Searls meet the masses at Strathpine last night. All photos: Kam Williams

We've been holding several rider/model autograph signings around south-east Queensland over the past couple of weeks while the kids have been off on school holidays. And so far the feedback has been awesome.

Lucky fans and members of the public got the opportunity to meet Giants Of Dirt BMXer Dane Searls, the gorgeous face of a number of Unit tees, Alana Collins, and flamboyant BMXer Nick Richardson at Brisbane's Queen St Mall, Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast and Clothing Unltd in Strathpine.

"it's been a lot of fun and it was amazing what we could get the fans to do for a signature and a freebie," says Richo. "We made an emo kid do a backflip for $5, and we heard some pretty awesome pick-up lines from the boys as they tried to hit on Alana!"

Stay tuned to unitriders.com for information on future signings in a town near you!




Richo fell in love.


Dane makes another kid's day.

• By Simon M

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Unit BMX team manager Ryan Guettler placed second at the Monster Energy Dirt Contest (original name, we know) in Hungary last week, and the highlights video has just been released.
Check out what went down.

• By Simon M

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McGazza Flip-whipping at Highlands. Photo: Rene Van Wonderen/Spoke Magazine

We received some awesome news this morning: Unit's two slopestyle MTBers, Kelly McGarry and Andreu Lacondeguy have received call-ups for the 2011 Kokanee Crankworx at Whistler from July 24.

McGazz has pre-qualfiied for the Red Bull Joyride finals, and Lako has been confirmed for the Teva Best trick Showdown and to line up to qualify for the Joyride slopestyle comp.

Below is the official press release:

The Red Bull Joyride will be a game changer for the world of freeride mountain biking. With a whopping $25,000 on the line for first place, Kokanee Crankworx has confirmed the best mountain bikers in the world will compete at the Teva Best Trick Showdown July 21 and the inaugural Red Bull Joyride Qualifiers July 21 and Red Bull Joyride Finals on July 23, 2011.

Confirmed pre-qualified athletes for Red Bull Joyride Finals:
1. Cam Zink – Reno, NV
2. Mike Montgomery – San Diego, CA
3. Casey Groves – Kelowna, BC
4. Kelly McGarry – Nelson, NZL
5. Sam Dueck – Chilliwack, BC
6. Yannick Granieri – Craponne, FRA
7. Brandon Semenuk – Whistler, BC
8. Darren Berrecloth – Qualicum Beach, BC
9. Martin Soderstrom – Uppsala, SWE
10. Sam Pilgrim – Colchester, GBR

Confirmed for Teva Best Trick Showdown and Red Bull Joyride Qualifiers July 21:
11. Amir Kabbani – Munich, GER
12. Andreu Lacondeguy – Barcelona, ESP
13. Antoine Bizet – FRA - qualified through Chatel Mountain Style 2011
14. Greg Watts – Santa Cruz, CA
15. Jack Fogelquist – Santa Cruz, CA
16. Kyle Strait – Huntington Beach, CA – qualified through Claymore Challenge 2011
17. Lance McDermott – Manchester, GBR
18. Medhi Gani – Lannilis, FRA – qualified through 26 Trix 2011
19. Mitch Chubey – Langley, BC - qualified by top six 2011 FMBA ranking
20. Paul Basagoita – Minden, NV – qualified through Teva Mountain Games Slopestyle 2011

Wildcard Athletes:
1. Cam McCaul
2. Graham Agassiz
3. Kurt Sorge
4. Tyler McCaul
5. Geoff Gulevich

For more information on this year’s invitation format click here.

Six athletes will be qualified based on the results of two full-course runs on July 21, limited to the 15 athletes that are not pre-qualified for Red Bull Joyride. Red Bull Joyride judges will observe both the Teva Best Trick Showdown contest and the two full-course qualifying runs. Riders will be ranked based on overall performance of both Teva Best Trick Showdown and the qualifying runs to select six athletes to advance and join the ten pre-qualified riders for Red Bull Joyride on Saturday, July 23.

First place will take home $25,000, second $10,000, third $5,000, fourth $3,500 and fifth $1,500. Watch the first of an exclusive video series from Red Bull detailing the conception of the Joyride course design here.

Stay tuned to www.crankworx.com for upcoming news and connect with Crankworx through Facebook.com/crankworx or Twitter.com/crankworx.

The eighth annual Kokanee Crankworx is presented by Whistler Blackcomb and the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Kokanee Crankworx is the biggest annual event held in Whistler and is also the largest freeride mountain bike festival in the world. Each year the best amateur and professional freeride, downhill and slopestyle mountain bike athletes gather for a ten-day, non-stop barrage of competition and celebration. Whistler has the world’s most diverse offering of mountain biking terrain, including 150 miles of single-track trails, 5,000 vertical feet of lift-accessed downhill runs in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, jump parks and 20+ miles of paved Valley Trail.

• By Simon M

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Cam White is finally back to what he does best - riding tonnes and living life. PHOTO: SIMON MAKKER

Over the past month or so I've been pretty busy. I'm finally feeling near 100% on my bike - this is the first time since 2008 that I have felt this way and I couldn't be happier.

I have been riding a little bit, but more importantly doing a whole range of other physical activities to strengthen my body, especially legs and cardio, and trying to lose a bit of weight I put on over the last year thanks to knee surgery (which isn't working too well, haha). 


Cam will be riding with a full-face helmet for the 2011 season, and for the forseeable future.

But every time I ride I'm feeling great. Now that I'm riding in a full-face helmet my confidence is even more dialed than it was and I'm really looking forward to this year's Dew Tour.

Starting this week I'm in TJ Lavin's Yard at 6:30am every morning and riding by 7am before it gets too hot and windy. It's usually a solo session though - Lavs isn't back riding yet, Brakeless Billy and Bobby Hill have to work and G-Bum is as lazy as it gets! But it's all good - the yard is running amazing and at that time of the morning it's beautiful out and a lot of fun.


One raging Corvette that is about to get a serious workover. Not a bad thing to have parked on the driveway!

Between all the gym workouts and riding I've been helping Bobby Hill with some race cars he is working on and driving. We have been gutting a Z06 Corvette, taking out all the carpets and roll cage, glass etc and reducing the weight of it by about 1000 pounds. Considering the car has about 700HP already the power-to-weight ratio is going to be pretty crazy!

Stay tuned for more updates soon. I've got a lot of riding planned this week, so I'm sure some stuff is gonna go down.

Cheers,
Cam
 

• By Simon M

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Hey, guys!

I just got back from Budapest, Hungary. I went there for a Monster Energy dirt jump contest, and had a really fun time and even got second place!

They built the course for the comp but also to leave it there for the kids afterwards, so they were very small jumps. That made it hard for me to do my bigger tricks on. Even still, it was amazing event. Thanks to everyone over there at Monster for taking care of me and showing me a good time.

I'm now back in Greenville getting ready for the first stop of the Dew Tour. I'm really excited but Dew Tour this year - it's going to be fun. I'll keep you up to date on more events as I go.

Cheers
Ryan

• By Simon M

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Robbie railing ruts at Raymond Terrace.

Wow, this year just won't stop for two minutes... Things started getting really busy for me around mid May. In the one week I had two days of FMX at the Kempsey show and then three days at the Ipswich show for Kaos FMX. The following weekend I had Chinchilla show Friday night, Brookfield show Saturday night, then turned around and rode to Toowoomba for a round of the Australian MX Nationals.

June has been the busiest so far but, with three days at Rockhampton show and then drove through the night back to Coolum for the opening round of the Qld MX State Titles, which ran over 4 days this year. I had some good results finishing in the top three a couple of times. The end result was a tied 5th place finish. It was really good with some national riders there like Jay Marmont, Michael Phillips and Todd Waters, so the competition was tough.

The next stop was the next round of the MX Nationals at Coonabarabran. What a track! It was definitely the most fun I've had at a national so far this year. I had some good battles in the last two motos and reeled in the likes of Dan Reardon and Cody Cooper for some awesome racing, which I haven't had in a while. It felt so good to get up there and mix it up with a couple of the factory riders! I finished a disappointing 15th place due to a couple of bad races, but to get in the top 10 for the last couple was good.

Last weekend I rode a pretty cool FMX demo over two days in Rockhampton. It was for a street and hotrod motorama show, so we got to see some pretty cool cars and put on some good demos with myself Cam Sturtridge and Luke "Revy" Saunders all riding.


Robbie has been mixing up both the MX and FMX over the past two months and is killing it at both. PHOTO: BUSHY

Right now I'm in the middle of a three-day MX riding school held by Ben Schodel. Myself and Jacob Wright are giving Ben a hand and doing all the demo riding and handing down some of our knowledge to the younger guys coming through. It's awesome when you see some succeeding and improving in leaps and bounds over such a short time.

To top the month off, I've flown down to Gosford for a couple of days testing with the awesome "Bondy" and then we're road-tripping in the race truck to the next round of MX Nationals this weekend in Albury. It's gonna be a cold one!!

I'll have plenty of more stuff happening in July, so I'll keep you posted and try to get some more photos. Hope you like the update this time round. Keep it real, guys!!

Robbie "Sheriff" Marshall.

• By Simon M

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